Cloud Based Technology: Advantages and Disadvantages

Friday, August 19th, 2016

Don Reys

Cloud-based computing is already having a significant effect on the traditional businesses. There are no doubts that businesses stand a lot to gain from cloud computing. A cloud computing environment is will be beneficial for both the environment and the company. However, with these advantages, it also comes with some downsides. Join me as we take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing.

All businesses are always conscious about the integrity and security of all their confidential documents. They are ready to go extra length in ensuring that maximum amount of privacy is provided for their business documents since this is a critical determiner when trying to develop a successful business. The traditional ways of handling documents which include keeping files in cabinets, shredding them and so on are not full-proof methods to data protection.

Creating a cloud computing environment is the perfect solution to ensuring the safety, security, and privacy of confidential documents. Various cloud-based Document or Database Management System (DMS) includes a smart feature known as revision tracking. This feature helps to track modifications made to your files.

Cost Saving

Decreasing the cost of operations is one of the major targets for any business. One of the various ways of making this possible is through cloud-based technology. Reliance on paper for carrying out regular business operations induces several unnecessary expenses.

For example, apart from purchasing papers you may also need to buy printers and copier machines, toner, ink, and cartridge for this equipment. They also require regular maintenance. In cloud-based technology, everything is almost virtual. No unnecessary expenses are incurred. Your efficiency will also be increased.

Reliable Document Repository

Modern businesses require quick access to all the essential information. This is really important if you want to make quick decisions. Cloud computing is more consistent and reliable than traditional data storage methods or even in-House IT infrastructure. The organization stands to benefit from a vast pool of redundant IT facilities including quick failover mechanisms. In cases of server failure, hosted services and applications can be easily transited to or retrieved from any of the available servers.

Another big benefit of using a cloud-based DMS is to enjoy a faster and better way of organizing documents. After uploading all business documents to the cloud, the necessary document can be found with a few mouse clicks.

Automated Backups

Losing a necessary file may bring unnecessary difficulties in your life. Some established rules are followed by every business in their day to day operations. Misfiling a document or losing access to a file could be lethal to these kinds of setups. One way to avoid these problems is to keep numerous backups of the essential documents. The best solution to handle this is cloud based storage.

Seamless Integration

These days, businesses make use of several latest technologies and tools. You may find it hard to establish a reliable communication channel with the modern tools if your business relies on the traditional-based system.

On the contrary, cloud-based document management systems consist of complete integration with modern business tools. Once the basic configurations are completed, the systems will provide the data input without any manual intervention and store the output for further inspection.

Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

Security Issues

Although the best security is implemented by cloud-based technology, storing important files and data on external facilities often open up to risks. You may be required to provide your service provider with access to confidential data. Also, the ease in obtaining and gaining access to cloud services can give disreputable users the ability to identify, scan, and exploit vulnerabilities and loopholes within a system.

Downtime

As of a number of clients are been taken care of by cloud service providers every day, they can become overwhelmed and may even result in technical outages. This can hinder your business processes temporarily.

Limited Control

Cloud infrastructure are entirely owned, monitored and managed by service providers. Only minimal control are transferred over to the customer. The customer will only be able to manage and control the applications, data and services operated, and not the backend infrastructure. Key administrative operations like server shell access, firmware management, and updating will not be transferred to end user or customer.

Vendor Lock-In

Organizations may find it hard to migrate their services from one service provider to another. Hosting and integrating current cloud applications on a different or new platform may cause support issues and interoperability.